Now is the time to get out your pruning shears and get viscious. This is a Hackberry tree which wants to grow to be 60 feet tall, but I’m purposely cutting it back to keep it down to a manageable size. I enjoy watching the American Snouts lay eggs on this tree and it’s only possible if I keep it below six feet.

I’m also using the same tactic on Sweet Bay Magnolia, Heptacodium miconoides, Buttonbush, and St. John’s Wort and all my Butterfly Bushes. It may seem a bit drastic, but the trees and bushes don’t seem to mind.